Unexpected
by Hananiah
Summary: A sparring match starts an unlikely romance
1. Default Chapter

Title: No  
  
Summery: Barriss and Anakin are sparring and Anakin doesn't take losing well so Bariss teaches him a lesson  
  
Time frame: A year before AOTC  
  
Rating:G  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing  
  
Anakin Skywalker stalked the small room, his eyes never leaving that of his companion. Barriss didn't flinch, just raised her saber in a defensive posture.  
  
She was not afraid of him.  
  
Anakin's hand tightened on the hilt of his own sword, impatience.  
  
He struck wildly. His strikes were in the mode of attack, hers of defense and no matter how much of a battering she took Anakin could not get through the defence. She smirked slowly, this was the Jedi way.  
  
And as long as she kept it near, Anakin could not hurt her.  
  
Anakin could feel the black well of anger rise in him, and tried to tamp down on it. Barriss was his friend, but he hated losing and he would make her pay.  
  
He launched himself at her, his vision clouded by anger, throwing her against the wall, Barriss's head connected with a thump and her eyes glazed over for a moment. Anakin felt savage pride he was wining.  
  
But he didn't want to win like that.  
  
Anakin tightened on his resolve, Barriss stared up at him, and then lowered her guard, her shoulders slumped. Anakin grinned, this was it, he could win this by touching her neck.  
  
End point.  
  
But as he did so she stepped to the side, grabbing his arm as she did so, raising it up and over forcing Anakin into a backflip to the mat. The boy howled in pain as Barriss, put her hand on his chest, a physical order.  
  
'No'  
  
Barriss stared hard into Anakin's eyes, seeing the darkness, like poison slowly filling the bright blue dephs.  
  
"No, Anakin. This is not the way" she added the weight of the force in her tone. Anakin snarled, trying to push her away. Barriss rolled her eyes and straddled him, using her whole weight to pin him to the ground.  
  
"No, Anakin" It was an order  
  
She stared at him fiercly. Making his see the truth. The posion ebbed slightly  
  
"No" This time it was barely more then a whisper, but Anakin nodded, turning his head to the side, a mixture of disgust and sorrow written on his face.  
  
Barriss got up, but Anakin's gentle touch to her knee stopped her.  
  
"Thank you"  
  
"Ani, don't become what they say you can become. Prove them wrong."  
  
Anakin's expression changed until it became playful and intense  
  
"What about you?" he asked,  
  
"What about me?" Barriss retorted, suddenly hyper aware of where she was sitting.  
  
"Have I proved you wrong. Have you always thought I would turn?"  
  
Barriss considered, she had always thought he was dangerous,and said so, Anakin only nodded.  
  
"I think you could be a good Jedi if only you let go of your hate." She tried to lighten the mood by gently swatting him on the chest and mimicking master Yoda "That way leads to the darkside"  
  
Anakin took her hand, gently running his fingers over her own, studying them.  
  
"You're right" he said agreeably. He suddenly looked at her, his blue eyes so intense that Barriss gasped.  
  
"Will you help me?" he asked, "Help me overcome my anger. I know I can do it if you help me" he said it with all the inthusiam of a child expecting christmas.  
  
"Why me?" Barriss asked, wanting to pull away from his grasp but not trying to, at all, and Anakin seemed a little too comfortable with her sitting on his lap and playing with her wrist.  
  
"Because you stood up to me." He grinned, "Not many people stand up to me."  
  
She didn't like the passion in his gaze, or where it was directed but she nodded  
  
"If I can help I'd like to"  
  
Barriss bent slightly to make it easier for her to get up, her back screamed in protest. She shouldn't have gone on the mission with her master.  
  
Anakin grabbed her gently lowering her face to his own and kissing her. Barriss allowed it for several seconds then broke away, looking anywhere but at her fellow Padawan.  
  
"No, Anakin" she said sternly.  
  
It wasn't until later that she realized that she had kissed him back.  
  
Barriss threw a training probe into the air, watching it spin, the lights were down low and the only light came from the droids red beam and Barriss's lightsaber.  
  
The droid went into evade mode, melting imto the darkness, Barriss didn't move, straining hr senses. Probes were always hard to find, since they didn't give themselves away like a lifeform enemy. There was no tell tale russle of clothing or even breathing. ANakin's fault was that he always gave her an opening when his hands would tighten around the hilt of his saber, giving her a clue as to where he moved.  
  
Barriss scowled, she wasn't here to think about Anakin Skywalker, he obviously only thought of himself, she didn not want to add to his ego that could drag a number of planets into a black hole.  
  
Sensing the droids approach Barriss whirled, missing the droid by an inch.  
  
This was all his fault he was distracting her.  
  
This was defiently all Barriss's fault Anakin Skywalker decided. She was distracting him, he couldn't concentrate since he had kissed her.  
  
And she kissed him back.  
  
He was sure of it, he didn't know why he couldn't get her out of his head, she was pretty sure but so where most girls but he couldn't deny the aura around her, one of peace and someone in absolute control. Anakin rarely felt in control.  
  
Anakin sighed, he needed to knock some droids around, that would make him feel better. He wondered if he should tell Master Obi Wan but then disregarded it, Obi Wan was his closest companion and he loved him but it would be weird talking to him about Barriss.  
  
He didn't want to talk about Barriss.  
  
The training room had a red light above when someone was inside so that they would not be disturbed, Anakin noted the sheet stabled into the wall. The time was aloctated to Barriss Offee.  
  
Anakin was elated and annoyed. He didn't know what do think when Barriss was around. She was different, she didn't think he was special and she looked him straight in the eye, she was not intimidated, and she had the prettiest eyes.....  
  
Anakin groaned aloud. He really needed help, sorting his feelings out and he was pretty sure Barriss felt the same way.  
  
Anakin watched as Barriss neatly cut the droid in half. The training droids were a good source of outlet of emotion even for those who didnt show that much emotuon.  
  
Well it was cheaper then therapy and less painful then going to the healers.  
  
"You're good" Anakin commented, Barriss rolled her eyes, turning to regard her companion.  
  
"I know. I practice" Anakin could hear the message underneath.  
  
"Just because I'm good at things, doesn't mean I'm a bad person."  
  
Barriss holstered her lightsaber, bringing a bottle of water to her lips,  
  
"I prefer to work for what I earn" she said  
  
Anakin took a deep breath, alternatively wanting to slice her in half and wanting to kiss her again.  
  
He was amused to see she was as on edge as he was. He was getting to her. He knew it.  
  
'And she's getting to you' a snide little voice added.  
  
"Look Barriss we have to talk?"  
  
"What about?" her voice was compleatly neutral.  
  
Aankin could play this game too.  
  
"Well if you really need reminding" he took a step forward, and Barriss took a step back. She avered her face so that he kissed her check.  
  
"Barriss I know you feel it too...." she moved away and he followed, shadowing her moves until Barirss finally stopped "So what do I feel Anakin? Since you know so much about me. How I feel?" under her pericing gaze his reslove melted.  
  
"Anakin what you felt was lust, not whatever you think you feel for me."  
  
Anakin protested but Barriss cut him off. "It happened and It won't happen again" was it his imagination or did she sound wistful, he had to pursue this.  
  
"Barriss I've felt lust before okay, belive me" seeing her disgusted expression he bulldozed on. "But I didn't feel that with you, it felt different, kinda lightheaded but in a good way."  
  
"You know the healers have good stuff for that now"  
  
Anakin ignored her sarcasm, it was his gift and his flaw that his mother had given him. Tha ablitity to open his heart, and that was what he was doing he had to make Barriss understand.  
  
She sighed, not moving away and as he continued his voice got quieter until he was level with Barriss,staring into her eyes, his lips close enough to kiss her,he bent close and...... 


	2. A kiss and a sharing of sorrow

Barriss started to form the word no which made the touch of his lips from a touch to a kiss Barriss felt the reslove she had so carefully built start to melt, but Barriss if anything was concious of her surroundings and her surroundings were very public.  
  
She could feel her Master aproaching and even though Barriss felt she could discuss anything with her Master, trying to explain why she was kissing her male counterpart was not a conversation she ever wanted to have. Quickly she pushed against Anakin pulling him away, he gave her a look that was clearly disbelieving, but she was just in time since Luminara was walking towards them, and if she noticed that Barriss was looking at the floor, her gold skin hiding the fact that she was blushing and Anakin was looking at her she didn't say anything.  
  
"Everything alright?" Luminara asked, looking from Anakin to Barriss  
  
"Yes Master" Barriss said quickly before Anakin could say anything.  
  
It was obvious that Luminara didnt believe her but Barriss countered on the fact that Luminara would not even consider the truth and Barriss didnt want to help her Master.  
  
As Barriss walked away Anakin called after her  
  
"We'll finish our discussion later" to Luminara the call was the friendly banter between friends but Barriss heard the demand underneath and Anakin's voice in her head.  
  
'I'm not letting this go Barriss. I know how I feel'  
  
Barriss simply tightened her sheilds against him.  
  
After Geonosis  
  
"Anakin?"  
  
Barriss approached her fellow Padawan with caution, she didn't know what to say to him. She just knew he needed her.  
  
Even if he didn't think he did.  
  
"Anakin" she said again a little more firmly as she reached his elbow, but Anakin's gaze remained on the passing traffic.  
  
"Everythings the same" he muttered, his voice cracked and broken "Everyone's going on with their lives as if nothing happened. As if the world hasn't ended"  
  
The male padawan's voice was bitter and Barriss understood it and shared it.  
  
She wished she could say something, anything to ease his pain. Something that would matter.  
  
"Anakin, maybe you should come back to class" she offered. Barriss and Anakin had been in galatic polictics when Anakin had abruptly left the classroom, no one had stopped him or called him back, the class had been half empty every eye was bloodshot and worn. No one could find words.  
  
"I'm sorry about Master Obi Wan" Barriss went on softly knowing she would recieve nothing but stony silence but needing to say it. Obi Wan Kenobi's death had been the most recent and one of the most shocking, Barriss herself had believed that the master was getting better until his heart attack, with images of Obi Wan Barriss saw her master in a coma shot in the spine by a blaster bolt, Barriss felt the well of tears inside her but blinked them back.  
  
Anakin turned bloodshot eyes on her "Everyone's so sorry" his gaze was penetrating lost but with a deadly focus "But being sorry won't bring back Obi Wan, I yelled at him and I killed him" Anakin tilted his head to the sky "Im sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry" he scremaed Barriss caught him as he fell, sobbing against her shoulder, his weight to much for her to handle and so the only thing she could do for him was break his fall. Barriss's eyes began to stream and this time she didn't stop them, what was the use of pretending she was alright when she wasn't?  
  
Her comfort came in being in Anakin's arms that he was the one he had leaned upon.  
  
That he needed her as much as she needed him.  
  
And maybe the two broken souls could be sated in their sorrow that pooled around their feet. 


End file.
